Cornell Iral Haynes Jr.,better known by his stage name Nelly,is an American rapper,singer,and actor. He grew up in St. Louis,Missouri,and embarked on his musical career in 1993 as a member of the Midwest hip hop group St. Lunatics. He signed with Universal Records as a solo act in 1999 to release his debut studio album,Country Grammar (2000). Its lead single "Country Grammar " and follow-up,"Ride wit Me",,both entered the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. The album peaked atop the Billboard 200 and received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His second album,Nellyville (2002),spawned two consecutive Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles:"Hot in Herre" and "Dilemma",along with the top-five single,"Air Force Ones".
Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas-Haynes is an American singer,songwriter,and actress. She was discovered as a teenager and signed to Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records under Def Jam Recordings in 2002. That year,she was featured on Fat Joe's "What's Luv?" and Ja Rule's "Always on Time",two major hits of 2002. She became the first female artist to simultaneously hold the top two spots on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart with "Foolish" and "What's Luv?".
"Locked Up" is a song by American singer and rapper Akon featuring fellow American rapper Styles P,taken as the lead single from the former's debut album,Trouble. The single was released in the United States on April 5,2004,peaking at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside of the United States,"Locked Up" peaked within the top 10 of the charts in Ireland and the United Kingdom and the top 20 of the charts in France,Germany,Spain,and Switzerland.
"Foolish" is the debut single by American singer Ashanti. It was released as the lead single from her self-titled debut album (2002) by Def Jam Recordings,AJM,and Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records on February 11,2002. It was written by Ashanti,Etterlene Jordan,Mark DeBarge and Irv Gotti,while production was overseen by Gotti. The song heavily samples DeBarge's "Stay with Me". Due to the inclusion of the sample,Mark DeBarge and Etterlene Jordan are also credited as songwriters. A promotional version of the single called "Unfoolish" features a verse from The Notorious B.I.G. from his song "F--king You Tonight".
"I Am Not My Hair" is a song by American soul and R&B singer–songwriter India.Arie from her third studio album,Testimony:Vol. 1,Life &Relationship (2006). Written by Arie,Shannon Sanders,and Drew Ramsey,it was released as the album's lead single in late 2005 to moderate chart success. The song was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song at the 2007 Grammy Awards. A remix version of "I Am Not My Hair" featuring Akon was also released.
"I Wanna Love You" is a song written and recorded by Senegalese-American singer Akon featuring American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released in October 2006 as the second single from his second studio album,Konvicted. It is also featured on Snoop Dogg's eighth album,Tha Blue Carpet Treatment. This song was Akon's first #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 and was also Snoop's second #1 on the same chart. It also reached a peak of #3 on the UK Singles Chart. The track originally had Akon as a featured artist and was performed by rapper Plies from Fort Myers,Florida,but his verse was replaced by Snoop's and his name has been left out from the writers' credits. This song was #88 on MTV Asia's list of Top 100 Hits of 2007. The song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 50th Grammy Awards in 2008.
The Declaration is the fifth studio album by American singer Ashanti,released on June 3,2008,by The Inc. Records and Universal Motown Records.
"Don't Matter" is a reggae fusion–R&B song by Senegalese-American singer Akon from his second studio album,Konvicted (2006). The song was released as the album's third single in January 2007. In April of that year,it became Akon's second U.S. number-one single. "Don't Matter" was ranked number 31 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007. This song was also ranked number 81 on MTV Asia's list of Top 100 Hits of 2007.
"Wonderful" is a song by American rapper Ja Rule. It was released on September 27,2004,as the lead single from his sixth studio album,R.U.L.E. (2004),through The Inc. Records and Island Def Jam. The song features American pop-R&B singer-songwriters R. Kelly and Ashanti. "Wonderful" topped the UK Singles Chart,reached #5 on the US Billboard Hot 100,peaked at #6 in both Australia and New Zealand;the single became a Top-20 hit in Denmark,Germany,Ireland,the Netherlands,and Switzerland.
American rapper and singer Nelly has released eight studio albums,two compilation albums,one remix album,three extended plays,two mixtapes,49 singles,three promotional singles and 48 music videos. He was also a member of the hip hop group St. Lunatics,which included fellow rappers Ali,City Spud,Murphy Lee,and Kyjuan. Nelly has sold a total of 21,815,000 albums in the US as of June 2014,making him the fourth bestselling rap artist in the country.
"Sorry,Blame It on Me" is the fifth single from R&B singer/songwriter Akon's second studio album,Konvicted.
Brass Knuckles is the fifth studio album by American rapper Nelly,released on September 16,2008,after several delays. In 2008 Nelly embarked on The Brass Knuckles Tour in support of the album.
"Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)" is the lead single from Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean's sixth studio album,Carnival Vol. II:Memoirs of an Immigrant. The R&B and hip hop song features vocals from Niia and Akon,as well as rapper Lil Wayne. Verizon Wireless released the song on their V CAST service on August 7,2007. It peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2008.
"Hypnotized" is a 2007 song and the second single from Plies' debut album,The Real Testament. The track is produced by Akon,as well as featured. The video for the single was released. The single made the top twenty of the Billboard Hot 100,at #14. The song is featured on the soundtrack of the film Step Up 2 the Streets. A remix version was released featuring Rick Ross,Flo Rida and Webbie with a mixed beat.
"Wadsyaname" is a song by American rapper Nelly,released to the iTunes Store on August 22,2007. It was supposed to be the first official single from his fifth studio album Brass Knuckles (2008),but Nelly later confirmed that the single will not make the album. It was replaced by "Party People". It is produced by Neff-U,and sampled the piano line from "All My Life" by K-Ci &JoJo. Nelly performed the single along with "Let It Go" at the 2007 BET Hip Hop Awards.
"Party People" is a song recorded by American rapper Nelly featuring American singer Fergie. It was released on March 18,2008 as the lead single for Nelly's fifth studio album,Brass Knuckles,and was featured on the deluxe edition of Fergie's debut album,The Dutchess. Both artists co-wrote the track with producer Polow da Don and co-producer Sean Garrett. The song garnered negative reviews from critics. "Party People" peaked at numbers 40 and 62 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts respectively. It also reached the top 20 in countries like Australia,Ireland,New Zealand and the UK. A music video for the single,directed by Marc Webb,takes place in an underground room with cameos by Polow da Don,Keri Hilson and Ciara.
"Stepped on My J'z" is a song written and performed by American rapper and singer Nelly featuring fellow American singer Ciara and fellow American rapper Jermaine Dupri;produced by the latter,it was released as the second single from Nelly's fifth studio album,Brass Knuckles.
"Can't Believe It" is a single by American singer T-Pain. It was released on July 29,2008,as the first official single from T-Pain's album Thr33 Ringz. The song features rapper Lil Wayne,marking the second collaboration between T-Pain and Lil Wayne being released as a single.
"I'm So Paid" is the second single from American singer Akon's third studio album,Freedom. The song features additional vocals from rappers Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy,and was released as a digital download worldwide and a physical single in France only on October 4,2008.
"Beautiful" is the third single from Akon's third studio album,Freedom. The song features American pop singer Colby O'Donis and a rap verse from Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall. "Beautiful" was released to radio on January 6,2009. The song has also been released in other three international versions,with different featured artists replacing both Colby's vocals and Kardinal's rapping:in Portuguese with Brazilian singer Negra Li,in Dutch with Dutch singer Brace,and in Spanish with Mexican singer Dulce María. The original version of "Beautiful" peaked at number nineteen on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside of the United States,the original version of "Beautiful" peaked within the top ten of the charts in Israel and the United Kingdom.
